Dr. Li’s laboratory is mainly interested in molecular genetics of plant development and metabolism, focusing on the elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying plant architecture and the starch biosynthesis in rice. The lab is also interested in breeding super elite rice via molecular design.

1985-1991 PhD, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
1982-1984 MS, Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
1978-1982 BA, Anhui Agricultural College, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

   

2011- Vice Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, The people's Republic of China
2011- President, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
2004- 2011 Vice President, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
2001-2004 Director General, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS
2001- Professor, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS
1999-2001 Director General, Institute of Genetics, CAS
1997-1999 Director Assistant, Institute of Genetics, CAS
1994-2001 Professor, Institute of Genetics, CAS
1991-1995 Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate, Boyce Thompson Institute
for Plant Research at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
1984-1985 Researcher, Institute of Genetics, CAS, Beijing, China

2014 Highly Cited Researcher, Thomson Reuters China Citation Laureates
2013 Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
2011 Corresponding Membership Award of The American Society of Plant Biologists
2011 Honorary Doctoral Degree, Nara Institute of Science and technology, Japan
2006 Medal Lecture Award, the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
2005 China National Natural Science Award
2005 Cheung Kong Achievement Award, Ministry of Education of China and Li Ka Shing Foundation
2004 Prize of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation for Scientific and Technological Progress (Award for Life Sciences)
2004 Award of bioscientific achievement, the 10th International Symposium of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA).

   

A. Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles
1. Wang Y, Xiong G, Hu J, Jiang L, Yu H, Xu J, Fang Y, Zeng L, Xu E, Xu J, Ye W, Meng X, Liu R, Chen H, Jing Y, Wang Y, Zhu X, Li J, Qian Q. (2015) Copy number variation at the GL7 locus contributes o grain size diversity in rice. Nat Genet. doi:10.1038/ng.3346, advance online publication.
2. Yu H, and Li J (2015). Plant and animal organelles in cell death. Oncotarget 6, 13852-13853.
3. Jing H, Yang X, Zhang J, Liu X, Zheng H, Dong G, Nian J, Feng J, Xia B, Qian Q, Li J, and Zuo, J (2015). Peptidyl-prolyl isomerization targets rice Aux/IAAs for proteasomal degradation during auxin signalling. Nat Commun 6, 7395.
4. Wu J, Sun Y, Zhao Z, Zhang J, Luo L, Li M, Wang J, Yu H, Liu G, Yang L, Xiong G, Zhou J, Zuo J, Wang Y, Li J (2015) Deficient plastidic fatty acid synthesis triggers cell death by modulating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Cell Research 25, 621-633.
5. Wang B, Chu J, Yu T, Xu Q, Sun X, Yuan J, Xiong G, Wang G, Wang Y and Li J (2015) Tryptophan-independent auxin biosynthesis contributes to early embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112, 4821-4826.
6. Lu Z, Shao G, Xiong J, Jiao Y, Wang J, Liu G, Meng X, Liang Y, Xiong G, Wang Y, and Li J (2015) MONOCULM 3, ortholog of WUSCHEL in rice, is required for tiller bud formation. J Genet Genomics 42. 71-78.
7. Huang X, Yang S, Gong J, Zhao Y, Feng Q, Gong Hao, Li W, Zhan Q, Cheng B, Xia J, Chen N, Hao Z, Liu K, Zhu C, Huang T, Zhao Q, Zhang L, Fan D, Zhou C, Lu Y, Weng Q, Wang Z, Li J & Han B (2015) Genomic analysis of hybrid rice varieties reveals numerous superior alleles that contribute to heterosis. Nat Commun 6, 6258.
8. Sang D, Chen D, Liu G, Liang Y, Huang L, Meng X, Chu J, Sun X, Dong G, Yuan Y, Qian Q, Li J, and Wang Y. (2014). Strigolactones regulate rice tiller angle by attenuating shoot gravitropism through inhibiting auxin biosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111, 11199-11204.
9. Cardoso C, Zhang Y, Jamil M, Hepworth J, Charnikhova T, Dimkpa S, Meharg C, Wright M, Liu J, Meng X, Wang Y, Li J, McCouch S, Leyser O, Price A, Bouwmeester H and Ruyter-Spira C (2014) Natural variation of rice strigolactone biosynthesis is associated with the deletion of two MAX1 orthologs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111: 2379–2384.
10. Jiang L, Liu X, Xiong G, Liu H, Chen F, Wang L, Meng X, Liu G, Yu H, Yuan Y, Yi W, Zhao L, Ma H, He Y, Wu Z, Melcher K, Qian Q, Xu H, Wang Y and Li J (2013) DWARF 53 acts as a repressor of strigolactone signaling in rice. Nature 504: 401-405.
11. Lu Z, Yu H, Xiong G, Wang J, Jiao Y, Guifu Liu G, Jing Y, Meng X, Hu X, Qian Q, Fu X, Wang Y and Li J (2013) Genome-wide binding analysis of the transcription activator IPA1 reveals a complex network regulating rice plant architecture. Plant Cell 25: 3743-3759.
12. Zhu Y, Guo G, Zhang Z, Liu C, Hu Q, Lam H, Cheng H, Xue Y, Li J and Li N (2013) Stable isotope metabolic labelingbased quantitative phosphorproteomic analysis of Arabidopsis mutants reveals ethyleneregulated time-dependent phosphorproteins and putative substrates of Constitutive Triple Response 1 kinase. Mol Cell Proteomics 12, 3559-3582.
13.Jia G, Huang X, Zhi H, Zhao Y, Zhao Q, Li W, Chai Y, Yang L, Liu K, Lu H, Zhu C, Lu Y, Zhou C, Fan D, Weng Q, Guo Y, Huang T, Zhang L, Lu T, Feng Q, Hao H, Liu H, Lu P, Zhang N, Li Y, Guo E, Wang S, Wang S, Liu J, Zhang W, Chen G, Zhang B, Li W, Wang X, Li H, Zhao B, Li J, Diao X and Han B (2013) A haplotype map of genomic variations and genome-wide association studies of agronomic traits in foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Nat Genet doi:10.1038/ng.2673.
14. Gao Z, Zhao S, He W, Guo L, Wang J, Peng Y, Guo X, Zhang X, Rao Y, Zhang C, Dong G, Zheng F, Lu C, Hu J, Zhou Q, Liu H,Hu X, Xu J, Zeng D, Liu D, Tian P, Gong L, Li Y, Zhang G, Wang J, Tian F, Xue D, Liao Y, Chen M, Li J, Cheng S, Zhang G, WangJ, Qian Q (2013) Uncovering yield-associated loci in super-hybrid rice by resequencing recombinant inbred lines while improving its parental genome sequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110: 14492-14497.
15. Liu L, Shang-Guan K, Zhang B, Liu X, Yan M, Lanjun Zhang L, Shi Y, Zhang M, Qian Q, Li J and Zhou Y (2013) Brittle Culm1, a COBRA-Like Protein, Functions in Cellulose Assembly through Binding Cellulose Microfibrils. PLoS Genet 9: e1003704.
16. Zhao L, Zhou X, Wu Z, Yi W, Xu Y, Li S, Xu T, Liu Y, Chen R, Kovach A, Kang Y, Hou L, He Y, Xie C, Song W, Zhong D, Xu Y, Wang Y, Li J, Zhang C, Melcher K and Xu H (2013) Crystal structures of two phytohormone signal-transducing α/β hydrolases: karrikin-signaling KAI2 and strigolactonesignaling DWARF14. Cell Res 23:436-439.
17. Chen L, Xiong G, Cui X, Yan Y, Xu T, Qian Q, Xue Y, Li J and Wang Y (2013) OsGRAS19 may be a novel component involved in the brassinosteroid signaling pathway in rice. Mol Plant 6: 988-991.
18. Zhang X, Wang J, Huang J, Lan H, Wang C, Yin C, Wu Y, Tang H, Qian Q, Li J, and Zhang H (2012) Rare allele of OsPPKL1 associated with grain length causes extra-large grain and a significant yield increase in rice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109: 21534-21539.
19. Huang X, Kurata N, Wei X, Wang Z, Wang A, Zhao Q, Zhao Y, Lu H, Li W, Guo Y, Lu Y, Liu K, Zhou C, Fan D, Weng Q, Zhu C, Huang T, Zhang L, Wang Y, Feng L, Furuumi H, Kubo T, Miyabayashi T, Yuan X, Xu Q, Dong G, Zhan Q, Li C, Fujiyama A, Toyoda A, Lu T, Feng Q, Qian Q, Li J and Han B (2012) A map of rice genome variation reveals the origin of cultivated rice and domestication-associated genes. Nature 490: 497-502.
20. Xu C, Wang Y, Yu Y, Duan J, Liao L, Xiong G, Meng X, Liu G, Qian Q and Li J (2012) Degradation of MONOCULM 1 (MOC1) by APC/CTAD1 regulates rice tillering. Nat CommunDOI: 10.1038/ncomms1743.
21. Huang X, Zhao Y, Wei X, Li C, Wang A, Zhao Q, Li W, Guo Y, Deng L, Zhu C, Fan D, Lu Y, Weng Q, Liu K, Zhou T, Jing Y, Si L, Dong G, Huang T, Lu T, Feng Q, Qian Q, Li J and Han B (2012) Genome-wide association study of flowering time and grain yield traits in a worldwide collection of rice germplasm Nat Genet 44: 32-39.
22. Huang Xu, Wei X, Sang T, Zhao Q, Feng Q, Zhao Y, Li C, Zhu C, Lu T, Zhang Z, Li M, Fan D, Guo Y, Wang A, Wang L, Deng L, Li W, Lu Y, Weng Q, Liu K, Huang T, Zhou T, Jing Y, Li W, Lin Z, Bucker ES, Qian Q, Zhang Q, Li J and Han B (2010) Genome-wide association studies of 14 agronomic traits in rice landraces. Nat Genet 42: 961-967.
23. Jiao Y, Wang Y, Xue D, Wang J, Yan M, Liu G, Dong G, Zeng D, Lu Z, Zhu X, Qian Q and Li J (2010) Regulation of OsSPL14by OsmiR156 defines ideal plant architecture in rice. Nat Genet 42, 541-544.
24. Cui X, Ge C, Wang R, Wang H, Chen W, Fu Z, Jiang X, Li J, Wang Y (2010) The BUD2 mutation affects plant architecture through altering response to cytokinin and auxin in Arabidopsis. Cell Res 20: 576-586.
25. Melcher K, Ng LM, Zhou X, Soon FF, Xu Y, Suino-Powell KM, Park SY, Weiner JJ, Fujii H, Chinnusamy V, Kovach A, Li J, Wang Y, Li J, Peterson FC, Jensen DR, Yong EL, Volkman BF, Cutler SR, Zhu J, and Xu E (2009). A gate-latch-lock mechanism for hormone signalling by abscisic acid receptors. Nature 462: 602-608.
26. Wang H, Zhu Y, Fujioka S, Asami T, Li J, and Li J (2009). Regulation of Arabidopsis brassinosteroid signaling by atypical basic helix-loop-helix proteins. Plant Cell 21: 3781-3791.
27. Lin H, Wang R, Qian Q, Yan M, Meng X, Fu Z, Yan C, Jiang B, Su Z, Li J, and Wang Y (2009). DWARF27, an iron-containing protein required for the biosynthesis of strigolactones, regulates rice tiller bud outgrowth. Plant Cell 21: 1512-1525.
28. Huang X, Qian Q, Liu Z, Sun H, He S, Luo D, Xia G, Chu C, Li J, and Fu X. (2009) Natural variation at the DEP1 locus enhances grain yield in rice. Nat Genet 41: 494-497.
29. Li S, Qian Q, Fu Z, Zeng D, Meng X, Kyozuka J, Maekawa M, Zhu X, Zhang J, Li J and Wang Y (2009) Short panicle1 encodes a putative PTR transporter and determines rice panicle size. Plant J 58: 592-605
30. Zhou Y, Li S, Qian Q, Zeng D, Zhang M, Guo L, Liu XL, Zhang B, Deng L, Liu XF, Luo G, Wang X and Li J (2009) BC10, a DUF266-containing and golgi-located type II membrane protein, is required for cell wall biosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.) Plant J 57: 446-462.
31. Tian Z, Qian Q, Liu Q, Yan M, Liu X, Yan C, Liu G, Gao Z, Tang S, Zeng D, Wang Y, Yu J, Gu M and Li J (2009) Allelic diversities in rice starch biosynthesis lead to a diverse array of rice eating and cooking qualities. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106: 21760–21765.
32. Yu Y, Tang T, Qian Q, Wang Y, Yan M, Zeng D, Han B, Wu Chung-I, Shi S and Li J (2008) Independent losses of function in a polyphenol oxidase in rice: differentiation in grain discoloration between subspecies and the role of positive selection under domestication. Plant Cell 20: 2946-2959.
33. Li P, Wang Y, Qian Q, Fu Z, Wang M, Zeng D, Li B, Wang X, and Li J ( (2007) LAZY1 controls rice shoot gravitropism through regulating polar auxin transport. Cell Res 17: 402-410.
34. Dai Y, Wang H, Li B, Huang J, Liu X, Zhou Y, Mou Z and Li J (2006) Increased expression of MAPKK7 causes deficiency in polar auxin transport and leads to plant architectural abnormality in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 18: 308-320.
35. Xiong G, Hu X, Jiao Y, Yu Y, Chu C, Li J, Qian Q and Wang Y (2006) LEAFY HEAD2, which encodes a putative RNA-binding protein, regulates shoot development of rice. Cell Res 16: 267-276.
36. Ge C, Cui X, Wang Y, Hu Y, Fu Z, Zhang D, Cheng Z, and Li J (2006) BUD2, encoding an S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, is required for Arabidopsis growth and development. Cell Res 16: 446-456.
37. Hu Y, Wang Y, Liu X, Li J (2004) Arabidopsis RAV1 is down-regulated by brassinosteroid and may act as a negative regulator during plant development. Cell Res 14: 8-15.
38. Li Y, Qian Q, Zhou Y, Yan M, Sun L, Zhang M, Fu Z, Wang Y, Han B, Pang X, Chen M and Li J (2003) BRITTLE CULM 1, which encodes a COBRA-like protein, affects the mechanical properties of rice plants. Plant Cell 15: 2020-2031.
39. Li X, Qian Q, Fu Z, Wang Y, Xiong G, Zeng D, Wang X, Liu X, Teng S, Hiroshi F, Yuan M, Luo D, Han B and Li J (2003) Control of tillering in rice. Nature 422: 618-621.
40. Feng Q, Zhang Y, Hao P, Wang S, Fu G, Huang Y, Li Y, Zhu J, Liu Y, Hu X, Jia P, Zhang Y, Zhao Q, Ying K, Yu S, Tang Y, Weng Q, Zhang L, Lu Y, Mu J, Lu Y, Zhang LS, Yu Z, Fan D, Liu X, Lu T, Li C, Wu Y, Sun T, Lei H, Li T, Hu H, Guan J, Wu M, Zhang R, Zhou B, Chen Z, Chen L, Jin Z, Wang R, Yin H, Cai Z, Ren S, Lv G, Gu W, Zhu G, Tu Y, Jia J, Zhang Y, Chen J, Kang H, Chen X, Shao C, Sun Y, Hu Q, Zhang X, Zhang W, Wang L, Ding C, Sheng H, Gu J, Chen S, Ni L, Zhu F, Chen W, Lan L, Lai Y, Cheng Z, Gu M, Jiang J, Li J, Hong G, Xue Y and Han B (2002) Sequence and analysis of rice chromosome 4. Nature 420: 316-320.
41. Mou Z, Wang X, Fu Z, Dai Y, Han C, Ouyang J, Bao F, Hu Y, and Li J (2002) Silencing of phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase results in temperature-sensitive male sterility and salt hypersensitivity in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 14: 2031-2043.
42. Hu Y, Bao F and Li J (2000) The promotive effect of brassinosteroids on cell division involves a distinct cycD3-induction pathway in Arabidopsis. Plant J 24: 693-701.
43. Ouyang J, Shao X and Li J (2000) Indole-3-glycerol phosphate, a branchpoint of indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis from tryptophan biosynthetic pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J 24: 327-333.
44. Mou Z, He Y, Dai Y, Liu X and Li J (2000) Deficiency in fatty acid synthase leads to premature cell death and dramatic alterations in plant morphology. Plant Cell 12: 405-417.
45. Li J and Last RL (1996) The Arabidopsis thaliana trp5 mutant has a feedback-resistant anthranilate synthase and elevated soluble tryptophan. Plant Physiol 110: 51-59.
46. Li J, Zhao J, Rose AB, Schmidt R and Last RL (1995) Arabidopsis phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase: molecular genetic analysis of triplicate tryptophan pathway genes. Plant Cell 7: 447-461.
47. Li J, Ou-Lee T, Raba R, Amundson RG and Last RL (1993) Arabidopsis flavonoid mutants are hypersensitive to UVB irradiation. Plant Cell 5: 171-179.

B. Selected Invited Articles
1. Smith S, and Li J (2014). Signalling and responses to strigolactones and karrikins. Curr Opin Plant Biol 21C, 23-29.
2. Zuo J, and Li J (2014). Molecular genetic dissection of quantitative trait loci regulating rice grain size. Annu Rev Genet 48, 99-118.
3. Zuo J and Li J (2013) Molecular Dissection of Complex Agronomic Traits of Rice: A Team Effort by Chinese Scientists in Recent Years. National Sci Rev doi:10.1093/nsr/nwt004.
4. Li J and Chua N-H (2011) A comprehensive understanding of plant growth and development. Curr Opin Plant Biol 14: 1-3.
5. Wang Y and Li J (2011) Branching in rice. Curr Opin Plant Biol 14: 94-99.
6. Wang Y and Li J (2008). Rice, rising. Nat Genet 40, 1273-1275.
7. Wang Y and Li J (2008). Molecular basis of plant architecture. Annu Rev Plant Biol 59: 253-279.
8. Han B, Xue Y, Li J, Deng X, and Zhang Q (2007) Rice functional genomics research in China. Phil Trans R Soc B 362: 1009–102.
9. Wang Y and Li J (2006) Genes controlling plant architecture. Curr Opin Biotech 17: 123-129.
10. Wang Y, Xue Y and Li J (2005) Towards molecular breeding and improvement of rice in China. Trends Plant Sci 10: 610-614.

C. Selected Invited Book Chapters

1. Sang T and Li J (2013) Molecular genetic basis of the domestication syndrome in cereals. In Cereal Genomics-II (Gupta PK, Varshney RK, eds), Springer Science pp. 319-340.
2. Yu Y, Wing RA and Li J (2013) Understanding genetic molecular basis of rice grain quality. In Genetics and Genomics of Rice(Zhang Q and Wing RA, eds), Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London, pp. 237-254.
3. Wang Y and Li J (2012) Regulation of plant architecture. In Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology (Chen X, Xue H, eds), Higher Education Press, Beijing, pp. 418-432.
4. Wang Y, Chen M and Li J (2007) Rice. In Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry Vol. 59 Transgenic Crops IV (E.C. Pua and M.R.Davey, eds), Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 35-54.

已指导学生

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王仁晓  博士研究生  071007-遗传学  

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林浩  博士研究生  071007-遗传学  

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崔霞  博士研究生  071007-遗传学  

李云海  博士研究生  071007-遗传学  

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